Secret of the Tamer
by yukipup
Summary: Kaien Cross takes in a teenage girl named Keiko Mie whose family was just brutally slaughtered by a Level E vampire. While there, she becomes friends with many of the vampires...and finds out a secret about her life she never knew existed. AidoxOC
1. Chapter 1

_Cross Academy…A private __school__ run under Headmaster Kaien Cross. There, classes are held two times everyday: once during the day, and the other at night. The day class consists of those ordinary honor students whose parents were able to get them in. The night class is formed of many elite, extremely good-looking students. So…what makes those in the day class different from the night? The answer is simple: The night class is formed of vampires. "Vampires?" you may say. "Yeah, right. Vampires don't exist!" Well…you're wrong. They do exist and they go to school just like everyone else. At least, the ones from Cross Academy do. So have I gotten you to believe yet? "But…aren't vampires nothing but blood-thirsty monsters?" you may ask. The answer is yes…and no. There are many classes of vampires. The first would be the A Class purebloods: the highest, most feared level of vampires. They run everything and everyone under them, using the lower class members to sometimes do their dirty work. The second level would be the B class nobles. They serve under the purebloods and have special powers, usually the power to control an element. After them, you have ordinary vampires in the C Class and vampires in the D Class that were once human, but were saved from becoming an E Class. Finally, there are E class vampires. E class vampires are the worst kind that you could ever get involved with. They are those that were human at one point but soon lost all sense of reason and deteriorated into nothing but a blood thirsty __monster__. "So does every human bitten by a vampire turn into one themselves?" That answer is no. You see, you can only turn into a vampire yourself if you are bitten by a pureblood vampire. Of course, if you are bitten by a pureblood, you could just as easily die than turn into a vampire. Then again, I'm sure you would rather choose death. The slow, aching process of turning into a vampire messes with the mind. Over time, a person's thirst for blood becomes greater and greater until finally they can't control it anymore. The bloodlust takes over and they attack any human that they wish. But those are the bad vampires. There are good ones too; and those are the ones that attend Cross Academy._

**Chapter 1:**

Keiko Mie sat in her room and looked out the window. Her shoulder length, reddish-brown hair fell over her face, covering her bright blue eyes. Those eyes were now full of despair. Just yesterday, she had gotten the news that her family had been attacked by a Level E vampire. Keiko had been at a friend's house preparing for exams, when the phone call came. She rushed home as fast as she could only to be greeted by a group of professional vampire hunters. She had stared down at the motionless, bloody bodies of her family with tears streaming down her cheeks. The pile of ashes next to her, the remains of the attacker, floated away as a sudden wind blew. One of the hunters knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Your family?" he asked. Keiko just nodded. The hunter looked back at his companions then helped Keiko onto her feet. "Let's get you inside."

The inside was hardly a comfort. A few of the windows were broken, family belongings were scattered everywhere. An attack was obvious. Here and there large puddles of blood stained the cream-colored carpet a deep red. The hunter helped the girl up the stairs and down the hall to a closed door. Keiko recognized the sign on the door and realized it was her room. The hunter opened the door and set her down on her bed. "You going to be okay?" he asked. Keiko stared down at the floor. "Do you want to stay here by yourself?" No answer. The hunter turned around and left the room and soon, Keiko heard the front door close. Her family was gone and now she had nowhere to go. This house was blood-stained, destroyed, and brought horrible flashbacks into her mind. What was a poor sixteen year old girl like her to do?

Keiko was dragged out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell. She lifted her head wearily and stared out her door. She hadn't moved from the spot on her bed for more than 24 hours since the hunter brought her here. The continuous ringing of the doorbell finally stirred her to stand up on her shaky legs and answer the door.

Outside, a girl with brown hair and eyes stood with a guy with silver hair and violet eyes. The girl rang the doorbell one more time before turning to her companion. "I guess she's not home."

"Or maybe she's just tired of hearing the doorbell ring over and over and over…"

"Shut up, Zero!" the girl countered. "You're so mean! What if she's hurt? Or worse! What if she's—"she was cut off as the doorknob rattled and the door opened slowly.

Keiko peeked out of the door and stared at the visitors. "Can I help you?" she asked softly.

"Hi!" the girl greeted. "I'm Yuuki Cross and this is Zero Kiryu. We'd like to talk to you if that's okay."

Keiko looked behind her at the disaster of a house then turned back and shrugged. "If you want. Just please excuse the mess."

Yuuki and Zero followed Keiko though the house dodging pieces of glass and debris. Zero bent down and picked up a piece of glass in a puddle of blood. "This is definitely the place," he said to Yuuki who nodded.

"E-excuse me," Yuuki called to Keiko. Keiko stopped and stared at the floor. "You're Keiko Mie, right?"

Keiko turned around and stared at Yuuki with a look of suspicion. "Why?"

"I take that as a yes," Zero interrupted before Yuuki could answer. "Come with us…now."

"You could be a little nicer, Zero! After all, her whole family was killed by a Level E vampire."

Keiko stiffened and glared at Yuuki. "How do you know that?"

Yuuki looked back at Keiko warmly. "Keiko, we'd like you to come with us. If you do…then we can tell you everything."

Keiko looked at Yuuki with a remnant of suspicion in her eyes. She had never met these people in her life, yet they knew her name. Keiko sighed and looked at the mess around her. "What have I got to lose?" she responded.

***

The three arrived at Cross Academy a few minutes later. The school was like a huge castle-like building with smaller complexes diagonal from it on the left and right. Zero and Yuuki led Keiko into the school, down hallways, and up stairs until they came to the headmaster's office. Yuuki smiled at Keiko as Zero knocked on the door.

"Come in!" someone beckoned in a sing-song voice.

Zero opened the door and glared at the man sitting behind the desk. "Do you always have to act like that?"

The headmaster giggled then looked over at Keiko. "I see you found her. Hello, Keiko," he greeted as he held out a hand to her. "I'm Headmaster Kaien Cross, nice to meet you." Kaien Cross was a man about in his early thirties with long, blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and glasses over his bright light brown eyes. He wore a very colorful scarf around his neck that trailed over his white dress shirt. Keiko looked down at the outstretched hand in front of her then turned her head to the side.

Headmaster Cross lowered his hand then laid his head in his palms. "Keiko, the reason I have had my daughter and her boyfriend bring you here, is because I have a proposition to make."

Keiko looked up and stared into the man's green eyes. "A…proposition?" she repeated softly.

Kaien nodded. "I heard about your family and I was wondering if you would like to stay here with me and attend Cross Academy."

"Why are you so interested in me?" Keiko asked him.

Kaien looked down at his desk as Yuuki and Zero looked to the side. "Both of those children behind you," he explained. "Were both victims of a vampire attack."

Keiko gasped and turned around to face the two people who had brought her in. "You…too?"

Yuuki nodded. "Zero's family was killed by a vampire just like yours. I don't remember my family that well," she gave Kaien a quick, warning look, "but when I was five I was attacked, too. I was saved by Kaname-senpai and he brought me to Headmaster Cross who adopted me."

Keiko looked back at Kaien with a look of sorrow. "My baby brother was killed," she sniffed, as tears gathered in her eyes. "He was only five. He didn't deserve to die the way he did." She stopped and looked down at the ground. "And…my parents…I miss them already," she sobbed. "So…I'll stay…I have no one else to turn to."

Kaien smiled and stood up. "Keiko, you'll be well cared for here, I promise." He then walked over and hugged the trembling girl.

Yuuki smiled and nudged Zero. "We're going, Dad!" she said as she waved to the headmaster.

The man's eyes lit up excitedly. "You call me 'Dad' now!" he exclaimed. "All right be good kids! I'll see you later!" Yuuki waved and Zero raised a hand in farewell as the two walked out of the room.

Kaien turned back to Keiko. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Yuuki walked hand in hand with Zero as they walked out of the gates of the school. "It's been a while since we were last here, huh, Zero?"

"Yeah," Zero replied, looking up at the sky. "Four months since we moved out of the school. But…" he looked down, troubled.

"What's wrong, Zero?"

"I've been getting that urge, again. It happened when we went to get Keiko and I saw the blood."

'_That's right,'_ Yuuki thought. _'Zero was bitten by a pureblood vampire and now he's one, too.'_ "Look on the bright side," she said, jumping in front of him. "At least you don't have to worry about becoming a Level E anymore!"

Zero smiled. "That's right. I don't." And with that he took Yuuki's hand and they continued on their way.

Keiko stood in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She had just taken a shower and put on some clothes that the headmaster had given her. Although, the clothes consisted of nothing more than a T-shirt that was way too big for her and a pair of underwear that he had managed to snag out of what used to be Yuuki's dorm room. Tomorrow she was to start school as a Cross Academy Day Class student. She sighed and opened the door to walk out of the bathroom. As she did, she bumped into someone who was walking down the hall. "Oh, sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine," the person replied.

Keiko looked up to see a guy with dark brown hair and eyes that seemed to have a touch of red in them. Keiko recognized his uniform as being that of the Night Class. "Are you…in the Night Class?" she asked.

The boy nodded. "Kaname Kuran at your service," he replied.

"Uh…" Keiko stammered. "I…I have to go to my room."

Kaname looked down at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Good night," he said as he watched her go down the hall.

Keiko blushed as she opened the door to the headmaster's guest bedroom. Kaien had told her that she could have this room as long as she promised to eat all the food he cooked for her and make her bed everyday. That wasn't so hard considering she was starved from not eating for two days and the fact that she used to make her bed everyday anyway when she lived with her family. Keiko walked over to the bed and flopped down on it. _'Kaname Kuran…'_ she thought as she closed her eyes. _'Why does that name sound so familiar?'_ "Oh yeah!" she said, flicking her eyes open. "That's the guy who saved Yuuki-san. I wonder if I'll ever meet him again." And with that thought in mind, Keiko rolled over on her side and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Kaname reached Headmaster Cross's office and walked in.

"Don't you ever knock anymore?" Kaien asked him with a sigh.

"Who's the girl?" Kaname asked distractedly.

"Hm?" Kaien looked up at him. "You mean you're interested already? That was Keiko Mie. Her family was killed by a E class vampire."

Kaname frowned and turned to the headmaster. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"I thought you would have," Kaien told him, genuinely confused. "You being a high and mighty pureblooded vampire after all."

Kaname clenched his fist. "Is she…?"

Kaien shook his head. "No, she's a human. She'll be attending the Day classes tomorrow."

"I see," Kaname said, deep in thought. "Oh, do you think you could get another prefect? We're having problems transferring from Moon Dorm to our classes."

"I'm trying, Kaname," Kaien told him with a disappointed sigh. "But you know, I can't just send anybody. Nobody knows about you and the Night Class being all vampires. Or the existence of vampires period!"

Kaname was silent for a moment. "What about Keiko?"

Kaien looked up at him. "I can't do that. She wouldn't be ready."

Kaname's eyes glowed red. "I can help with that," he said before walking out of the office.

Kaien raised a frustrated eyebrow. "Kaname…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

The next day, Keiko walked into Headmaster Cross's office to pick up her day class uniform. "Headmaster?" she called.

"Please, call me Kaien," said a voice behind her. "Come to get your uniform?" he asked as he walked over to his desk.

Keiko nodded. "Headmas—Kaien?"

Kaien looked up from the papers he was reading in his hands. "Yes, Keiko?"

"Can I…join the night class?"

Kaien looked up at her for a moment then set down his papers with a sigh. "Keiko…I don't think—"

"I don't see what's wrong with it," a voice replied from behind Keiko.

Kaien looked up to see Kaname standing in the doorway. "You're up early," he told him in dry humor.

Kaname smiled a bit. "I had something to discuss with you," he lied.

Kaien bent down and picked up a day class uniform from under his desk then handed it to Keiko. "Go change, Keiko. You'll go to the Day Class for now, then we'll see about transferring you, okay?"

Keiko smiled. "Okay! Thank you, Kaien-san!" she said as she ran out of the office and shut the door behind her.

Kaname watched her leave then stood and stared at the door for a moment longer.

"Nothing wrong with it?" Kaien asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kaname closed his eyes and chuckled. "I said I would help with making her ready. I'm just carrying out my promise."

Kaien stood up quickly and slammed his hands on his desk. "You can't bite her!" he shouted. "That's asking for disaster!"

Kaname turned to Kaien and frowned. "I never said that's what I was going to do…and plus, it'd be fine as long as she drank my blood later. That way she wouldn't turn into a Level E."

"But still," Kaien started, sitting back down, "she doesn't know about you being a vampire, and if she did…"

Kaname turned to leave. "Just ask her about the prefect position, would you? It's a request." And with that he opened the door and left.

Kaien sighed wearily. "What am I going to do with him?" he asked himself quietly.

***

Kaname walked out of the school and headed back to the Moon Dorm. He was suddenly greeted by Takuma Ichijou, a blond-haired, green-eyed teen and Kaname's best friend. "There you are, Kaname-sama," Takuma greeted the brunette. "I got worried when I didn't see you all day."

Kaname walked up to Takuma and they continued on their way to the Moon Dorm together. "I had business to take care of," Kaname explained vaguely.

"That explains a lot," Takuma replied, looking away from Kaname. "Seiren was worried since she hadn't seen you either."

"I didn't tell her where I went," Kaname said.

"That's obvious," Takuma told him. "Kaname-sama…what's wrong?"

Kaname stopped and looked back at Takuma. "What do you mean?"

"You're thinking about something, I can tell."

Kaname was silent for a minute. "A new girl was taken in by Headmaster Cross. Her family was killed by a Level E."

Takuma looked over at Kaname, surprised. "And we didn't know about it?"

Kaname shook his head. "That's what bothers me. I usually know this type of thing so we can get rid of it, but…" Kaname trailed off and stared into space.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Takuma said, in an attempt to calm the brunette. "One Level E escaping our notice is hardly a reason for concern."

Kaname looked at Takuma for a brief second before continuing to the dorm.

***

Keiko sighed as class finally ended. It was only her first day, but she was already taking so much notes it made her hand cramp. She sighed, picked up her bag, and walked out of the classroom. She decided that she would finish her homework then explore the school grounds. On her way to the guestroom, Kaien stopped her.

"Hi, Keiko!"

"Hi, Kaien-san," Keiko replied. "Do you need me?"

"Yes, actually," Kaien told her. "Come into my office for a moment."

Kaien led Keiko to the office then sat at his desk. "Keiko, I have a question."

"Okay."

"You remember Yuuki and Zero, right? Of course you do. Well, they were the prefects of this school and kept the Day Class under control while the Night Class transferred from their dorm to the school building. The only problem is, since they left the school, the Night Class has been having…difficulties. I was going to ask you if you wanted to become a prefect."

"But," Keiko started, "this is only my first day! I don't know anything about this school!"

"Weren't you on your way to explore the school?" Kaien asked. "This was a special request from Kaname Kuran."

Keiko's head shot up. "K-Kaname?"

Kaien nodded. "Don't worry, Keiko, you'll be fine. I'll even call in Yuuki so she can give you advice."

"I…I guess," Keiko said, turning her head to the side.

Kaien smiled. "Now go on and explore before it gets too dark."

Keiko nodded then walked out of the office. Kaien frowned and laid his chin on his folded hands. "I just hope she doesn't scratch herself."

Keiko walked out of the school and took a deep breath. "Ah," she exhaled. "Okay, let's explore!" Keiko was always a lively, active girl. The death of her family hadn't dampened her spirit too much, so it wasn't a surprise that she held her head up high and jumped around like a rabbit. Keiko wandered around in the forest for a while before stopping. "Where am I?" she asked herself. She hadn't been paying much attention to where she was going and now it was getting dark. The sudden sound of something moving through the trees caught her attention and she caught a glimpse of two red, glowing eyes. The eyes stared at Keiko with a look of hunger and soon she heard the heavy breathing of something alive. She whimpered and ran in the opposite direction, but it wasn't long before she heard the rushing of her being chased. She could feel the presence of the being behind her and it was anything but comforting. _'Is it a vampire?'_ she asked herself. She panicked as she tripped over a rock and fell, scraping her knee badly on the rough ground. She heard her pursuer gaining on her and she stumbled back on her feet and ran as fast as she could, wincing as pain shot up her leg. She soon came to the edge of the forest and ran onto a stone path. She hesitated, wondering which way to run, when her attacker knocked her to the ground. Keiko moaned and looked up to see a ragged looking vampire looking down at her hungrily. The vampire licked its lips as it took a step toward Keiko. She forced herself to stand up, but her leg gave out from under her and she fell onto her knees. The vampire laughed manically and lunged at the trembling girl. Keiko closed her eyes tight and screamed as loud as she could. The vampire stopped as Keiko began glowing brightly and a ray of light threw it back. Keiko opened her eyes and looked at the vampire on the ground. "W-What happened?" The vampire groaned and stood up, its eyes glowing fiercer than before, and lunged again. It stopped again right before it attacked Keiko and when she looked up, she saw why: there was a sword of ice sticking out of its chest. Keiko looked behind the vampire and saw two Night Class guys: one with blond hair and blue eyes and the other with bright orange hair and red-orange eyes.

The blond walked over to the now collapsed vampire and pulled out his sword. "That was messy," he said to his partner with a smile.

"I think you're forgetting something, Hanabusa," the red-head said, pointing to Keiko.

The blond looked away from his friend and down at Keiko. "A Day Class student…and she's hurt."

"Don't even think about it, Hanabusa," his friend warned. "You know what happened last time."

"Aw, Akatsuki, I was just gonna do it a little bit," the blond whined.

"Uh…" Keiko started, turning the boys' attention back to her. "Who are you?"

"You mean you don't know?" the blond asked surprised. "I'm Hanabusa Aido and this is Akatsuki Kain. Forget Akatsuki, but you've never heard of me before?"

Keiko shook her head. "N-no. I just started here today."

Hanabusa smiled and bent down in front of her. "Mmm…that explains why I've never smelt your blood's scent before. It certainly does cause a drunken feeling," he sighed, looking down at Keiko's bloody knee. _'Aw, what the hell,'_ he told himself before bending his head down and slowly beginning to lick the blood off.

"Hanabusa," Akatsuki warned again, taking a step forward.

Keiko sat in shock as she watched Hanabusa lick her knee clean. When he lifted up his head to look at her, she noticed a red glow to his formerly blue eyes. "Just as intoxicating as it smells," he said, licking his lips. Keiko gasped as she saw a pair of fangs sticking out of Aido's mouth.

"Y-you're a…" she broke off as Hanabusa leaned forward and sat almost nose to nose with her.

"Vampire?" Hanabusa finished for her as he smiled. "That's right."

Keiko gasped as Hanabusa slowly began to head for her neck, his mouth wide open revealing his sharp fangs. He stopped when Akatsuki grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar. "I'm not getting in trouble for your actions again, Hanabusa."

"Wise decision," a voice spoke behind them. All three turned around and Kaname stepped out of the trees. He stopped and looked at the ashes of the dead vampire then to Hanabusa and Akatsuki. "If I remember correctly," he told the two, "class has started already."

"K-Kaname-san," Keiko said softly.

Kaname looked down at Keiko then back at the guys. "You two get back to class, I'll take care of her. And, Aido," he said as the two passed him. Hanabusa looked at him with a slightly frightened look. "I'll deal with you later," Kaname told him threateningly.

Hanabusa sighed then walked back to the school with Akatsuki. Kaname watched them leave then turned back to Keiko and kneeled down in front of her. "Are you okay, Keiko?" he asked her. "Aido didn't bite you too hard, did he?"

Keiko shook her head slowly. "N-no, he only licked the blood off my knee, but…he…"

Kaname looked at her sympathetically. "Yes. Keiko. Aido is a vampire. But…he's not the only one."

"W-What do you mean?"

"The whole Night Class is nothing but vampires," Kaname told her.

Keiko's eyes widened as she stared at Kaname. "Y-you…too?"

Kaname nodded. "Here, I'll help you up," he said as he began to lift her up.

Keiko jerked away from his grip and took off down the path back towards the school. Kaname watched her go then looked down at the scattered pile of ashes. _'What was an E Class doing _here_?'_ He stood, staring at the ashes until finally he turned and headed back to the school.

***

Keiko burst though the doors of the school and ran down the hall toward her room. _'The…the whole Night Class? They're all vampires?! That's…that's impossible!'_ Her thoughts were broken when she ran into someone. She fell backwards and looked up to see Kaien looking down at her.

"Keiko?"

"Kaien…san?" Then she shook her head and glared at him. "Are you a vampire, too?" she asked suspiciously.

Kaien looked at her surprised before calming down and shaking his head. "I'm guessing you found out. No, Keiko, I'm not a vampire, but I _am_ an ex-vampire hunter. As you apparently now know, the Night Class is a class for vampires. I organized the class in hopes that humans and vampires could co-exist peacefully. Hm?" It was then he noticed Keiko's still bloody knee. "Come with me to the infirmary and I'll explain everything else."

Kaien led Keiko to the infirmary and set her down in a chair then walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bag of cotton balls and a bottle of disinfecting alcohol. "Hold still," he said as he wet a cotton ball in alcohol and pushed it on the wound. Keiko winced but did nothing else as she watched Kaien. "Why wasn't I told?" she asked softly.

Kaien looked up at her after he wrapped a bandage around her leg. "I didn't want to make you feel vulnerable. The vampires here…they all listen to Kaname-kun. They're here to try out my pacifism plan for humans and vampires. I don't want them to fight anymore than they have, too, but…We're trying out a new method of controlling a vampire's lust for human blood." Kaien dug around in his pocket until he found a small container. He opened it up and took out a small tablet. "This…" he said, holding it up to her, "is a blood tablet. It controls a vampire's craving for blood. Occasionally, though, blood tablets aren't enough and vampires get tempted from the smell of humans or sometimes even their own kind. That's why…" He looked down at Keiko's knee then back into her eyes. "That's why we need a prefect around. With the Day Class mobbing the Night Class every evening, there's an ever increasing chance that a vampire can get carried away and reveal their secret."

Keiko sat and stared at Kaien for a long moment before looking to the side. "Are you asking me because my family was attacked?"

"I'm asking you because I think you of all people here wonder why vampires and humans can't just get along."

Keiko placed a hand on her knee then looked back up at Kaien. "I'll do it," she said firmly.

Kaien visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Keiko."

The next day, Kaien took Keiko to the park and stood in front of her. "Okay, Keiko. Being a prefect requires a strong body and quick reflexes. You never know when you'll need to attack at a moment's notice. So, I guess the question is: Are you physically fit?"

Keiko smiled. "I've been taking martial arts since I was four and I played soccer and basketball at my old school."

"Good, good," Kaien said seemingly distracted. Then he suddenly sprang forward and attacked Keiko with a pole he was hiding behind his back. Keiko quickly jumped to the side and grabbed the pole firmly in her grasp. "Very impressive," Kaien told her, honestly amazed. "I think you'll do just fine."

Keiko smiled up at him. "You think so? Thank you, Kaien-san!"

Kaien smiled back at her. "Come on, let's get back to the school."

***

Keiko stood outside the Moon Dorm gates as the Day Class girls gathered around. They were all squealing and talking to each other excitedly about which Night Class guy they liked the best. As the gates creaked open, the squeals became louder and soon, the girls were all screaming at an all time high. A couple tried to sneak past Keiko, but she quickly grabbed them by the back of their collar and threw them back into the crowd and blew her whistle loud. "No one gets past me," she said sternly.

"I see you accepted," a familiar voice said in her ear. Keiko swung around and saw Kaname next to her. The girls began screaming again, but Kaname merely glanced at them then turned his attention back to Keiko. "I dealt with Aido, just like I promised," he said, glancing over at the pouting blond. "He knows to behave."

"Of course," Keiko said frowning playfully. "If they didn't listen to you, then who _would_ they listen to?"

Kaname looked at her in understanding knowing that "you" was just a cover up for the word "pureblood". He smiled then continued on his way. Soon, all the vampires made it safely and undisturbed to the school and Keiko was now considered a force to be reckoned with after just one guardian job. "Now," Keiko said, turning to the girls. "To your dorm! Now!" And in a mad frenzy, all the girls ran to their dorm.

Keiko walked, satisfied, toward the school to patrol the surrounding area. She soon came to the place where she was attacked the night before, yet, for some reason, it didn't scare her like it did before. She heard leaves rustle and she pulled out her "Bloody Rose 2" gun (the first one was given to Zero) which was given to her by Kaien. Kaien had told her that this gun couldn't hurt humans but was extremely painful and often fatal to vampires. "Come out!" she called bravely.

"Okay, okay, just don't shoot." Keiko lowered the gun as Hanabusa stepped out of the trees.

"Aido? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Y-yeah," Hanabusa said with a slight blush. "I _should_, but…" he glanced at Keiko.

"What?"

"I…I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was out of line."

"Did Kaname-san tell you to come apologize?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hanabusa looked at her and shook his head. "No, I came of my own free will. I'm really, really sorry, Keiko. _Really_, really sorry."

Keiko put her gun back inside her uniform. "I believe you, Aido," she said with a smile. "So how did Kaname-san deal with you?"

Hanabusa pouted. "He hit me…hard. Harder than he usually does."

"I'm guessing you get in trouble a lot."

Hanabusa nodded. "Yeah, I try not to, but I don't think the blood tablets are working like they should on me."

Keiko smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine, Ai-kun. Just give it time."

Hanabusa blushed then nodded. "Y-Yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Kaien sat at his desk with a stack of papers in front of him. His face had adopted a kind of determined look as he read the content of a folder on his desk. He looked up when Kaname entered into the room.

"You needed me?" Kaname asked. "I can't be away from class too long."

"That's never stopped you before," Kaien remarked. "Anyway, I have news. I did some inside research on Keiko and got family records from the hospital and federal archives. This is what I found." He pushed a folder toward Kaname and leaned back in his chair.

Kaname picked up the folder and looked inside. His eyes soon widened and he looked back at Kaien with shock on his face. "You mean…"

Kaien nodded.

"That would explain why I was attracted to her so easily," Kaname said, setting the folder back down. "What are you going to do?"

"I have yet to decide," Kaien replied, closing his eyes. "I wanted your input as well before I said anything."

Kaname looked to the side in thought. "We could always put her in the Night Class anyway, regardless of her being a human. After all, if what those records say is true, she should have no problem at all."

"So then that's your decision?" Kaien asked.

Kaname nodded. "Yeah."

"Very well," Kaien sighed. "She'll attend the Night Class starting tomorrow, but she'll still stay in the guestroom here. I don't want to take any chances."

"I understand," Kaname said, turning for the door. "I'll be in class if you need me."

***

Keiko yawned as she headed back to her room. She had been up all night patrolling and, now that it was daytime, all the Day Class students were on their way to class. "I guess that means me, too," Keiko sighed as she walked into the headmaster's bathroom. Before she was able to get undressed there was a knock at the door.

"Someone's in here!" she yelled, annoyed.

"It's me, Kei-chan! Can you step out here real quick, please?"

Keiko opened the door and stood with her hands on her hips as she faced Kaien. "Make it quick, or you'll make me late for class."

"No, I won't!" Kaien replied with a smile. "You're moving to the night class!"

"Say wha?"

"I was able to dig up some old records of your family from the government. It turns out you are a descendant of, as your name suggests, the Mie Clan, an elite group of vampire tamers."

"Vampire…tamers? You mean my family killed vampires?!"

"No, no," Kaien replied with a chuckle. "Those are vampire _hunters_. Tamers were able to use special charms to keep vampires in check. I found this," he held up a small chain bracelet, "in a drawer at your house."

"You went to my house?" Keiko asked, examining the bracelet.

"It was the only way I could confirm it. That symbol on the center charm is the one that your ancestors used to tame the vampires. This won't work on Level E's I'm afraid, though. The only thing charms can do is blast them back with a energy beam. But I'm afraid you have to have a special charm for that…far different from this one."

Keiko stood in thought for a moment. "Wait a second. I have a necklace that has a symbol a little like that."

"Is that right?"

Keiko nodded. "Yeah. Now that I think about it, when I was attacked by the Level E two nights ago, something glowed and shot it back with a beam."

"Do you have the necklace with you now?" Kaien asked.

"Yeah," Keiko replied. She disappeared into the bathroom then came back a moment later with a sliver necklace. Kaien took it from her and looked at the charm on the necklace. The center of it was in the form of a small bat with little crystal attachments dangling from it. Kaien noticed that it was different from the bracelet charm which also had a bat on it, but had small roses around it instead of crystals.

"You're right," Kaien said giving the necklace back to Keiko. "That's definitely the repel charm."

"I never realized it was for taming vampires," she said amazed. "So then, if I'm around the night class, I can keep them under control?"

"Bingo! Vampire tamers are able to become close friends with vampires and sometimes they can even team up. In other words, if you manage to tame a vampire, they will attempt to become your friend and will help you when you are in danger."

"Sweet," Keiko said with a smile. "I guess that explains why was Aido was so eager to come apologize to me last night."

"It seems that your power is already starting to surface. Just don't abuse it, okay?"

"Don't worry," Keiko assured him with a wink. "I won't." And she turned around and closed the bathroom door again.

That night, Keiko stood in front of her mirror as she examined herself in the Night Class uniform. After she took a shower that morning, she had gone to sleep and taken a long nap and had just gotten up a couple hours ago. "I totally think the white suits me better," she said with a giggle. She suddenly gasped as she remembered something. "I have guardian duty!"

She burst out of the room quickly and ran to the Moon Dorm gate, just in time as the gates opened. "Everybody, back away!" she yelled at the gathered Day Class girls. They all turned around and jumped away from the door. Keiko turned around and watched as the Night Class students walked out, waving to Hanabusa who smiled at her. He looked away when Kaname, who was behind him, hit him in the back of the head and glared at him.

"Hello, Keiko," Kaname said, walking up to her. "Your uniform has changed."

"That's right!" Keiko said joyfully. "I'm joining the Night Class as of tonight!"

Hanabusa stopped and gave Keiko a curious stare. Keiko put her hand behind her back and waved to him, signaling that she would explain later. Hanabusa sighed and walked on to the school. Then, after Keiko scared the Day Class away, she ran after the vampires and went to class with them.

***

Keiko stopped as she stepped into the Night Class. All of the vampires turned to look at her with glowing, curious red eyes. "Who's that?" a light brown-haired girl asked.

"Keiko!" Hanabusa exclaimed standing up. He sat back down when Kaname turned to look at him and stared at the ground. _'What did I do this time?'_ he wondered.

Kaname turned back to Keiko. "Good evening, Keiko."

Keiko waved with a smile. "Hi, Kaname-san!"

"She's not a vampire, is she?" the light-brown-haired girl asked Kaname.

Kaname shook his head. "No, Ruka, she's not. She's a human. Her name's Keiko Mie."

"Mie?" Ruka repeated. "You mean a…?"

Kaname nodded. "A what?" Hanabusa asked, walking over to Keiko. He suddenly stopped dead and knelt to the ground in front of her.

"Aido!" Akatsuki and Ruka cried. Kaname watched on indifferently.

Hanabusa looked up at Keiko and tilted his head. "What happened?" He then noticed the bracelet on her wrist glowing. "A…tamer?"

The other vampires stood up quickly and Takuma moved over next to Kaname. "What's a tamer doing here?" he asked, a faint tint of recognition appearing in his eyes.

"So I was right," Ruka said quietly. The other vampires turned to look at her. "The Mie Clan was an elite family of vampire tamers and they often were able to control our kind with charms like what she has."

Akatsuki clenched his fist. "So what should we do? If she's able to tame us, how do we know she won't kill us all off?"

"No," a violet-haired boy answered. He lifted up his head and stared at Akatsuki with sky blue eyes. "She won't because…"

"Because what, Shiki?" Akatsuki asked.

"The Mie Clan has never had a history of harming a vampire…ever. In fact, in a story I heard, they often helped us out."

"A human helping vampires?" Ruka asked doubtfully. "Come on, Senri, do you really believe--"

"Yuuki did it…didn't she?" Kaname broke in calmly. Ruka turned to look at him. "I requested for Headmaster Cross to transfer her from the Day Class."

"Why would you do something like that?" Takuma asked.

Kaname gave him a look that said "I have my reasons" and Takuma nodded. "Well," Kaname said, leaning against the wall, "I believe class is about to begin." He finished his sentence and looked toward the door. Hanabusa looked behind Keiko and quickly got up off the floor. "Looks like Yagari-sensei finally arrived."

Keiko looked behind her and saw a man with dark hair in a suit standing behind her. A metal patch covered his right eye, but his left eye was a brilliant light blue. "You must be Keiko," he said, looking down at her. "Kaien has told me all about you. My name is Toga Yagari and I'm a vampire hunter, although I'm also the Ethics teacher for this bunch. So," he pushed Keiko forward a little roughly and closed the classroom door, " find a seat so I can get started."

Keiko sat down next to Hanabusa and smiled at him. Hanabusa blushed and looked away, casting a nervous glance at Kaname who was frowning at him. _'It's going to be a long night,'_ the blond thought wearily.

***

In the morning, Keiko headed to her room. She had noticed that Hanabusa was having constant behavior changes, one minute being cheery and the next being silent and glum. _'I wonder what's wrong with him?'_ she thought as she walked in to the room.

Meanwhile, in the Moon Dorm, Hanabusa walked anxiously toward Kaname's room. The brunette had requested his presence and, honestly, Hanabusa wanted to turn and dive under his bed covers. He hesitated outside the door but finally walked in when Kaname called him. "Come in, Aido."

Hanabusa opened the door gradually and peeked his head in side. "Y-Yes, Kaname-sama?"

"Will you get in here?" Kaname told him a bit harshly, causing the window behind him to crack.

'_Oh…he's mad all right,'_ Hanabusa thought uncomfortably as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

Kaname was sitting at his desk with his head lying on his hands. He honestly looked bored but Hanabusa knew better. The blond stopped in front of the desk and looked at the ground.

"Seems you're on your way to being tamed," Kaname said, glancing up at Hanabusa who turned his head to the side.

"I'm not meaning to," the blond spoke quietly. "I know that she's your dear girl…like Yuuki was."

Kaname smirked. "So you _do_ realize something there. Your suspicion may very well be right, and there are things about Keiko that need to be considered, but…" he glanced at Hanabusa who was looking at him confused. "That's all I wanted. Leave."

"Yes, Kaname-sama," Hanabusa stepped back, bowed, then shakily walked out of the room. After he closed the door behind him, he leaned against it with a sigh of relief.

"Spared from Kaname-sama's wrath?" Takuma asked from nearby.

Hanabusa turned and looked at him. "Ichijou…yeah. I was spared this time, but…"

"What's wrong?" Takuma asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I didn't do anything this time," Hanabusa replied bewildered. "Really!"

"I agree," Takuma said, lowering his voice in case Kaname was listening. "Kaname-sama has been acting weird, but I think it's best if we just let it pass. Just don't do anything to make him suspicious of you, okay?"

Hanabusa nodded and watched as Takuma entered Kaname's room. "Ah, Kaname-sama…" Hanabusa scratched the back of his head and walked to his room. Outside the door, Akatsuki was talking quietly to Ruka. The two looked up as Hanabusa approached. "There you are, Hanabusa," Akatsuki greeted him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Akatsuki," Hanabusa replied, walking into the room and closing the door.

Akatsuki switched puzzled looks with Ruka then sighed. "I'll talk to you later, Ruka."

"'Kay. Bye, Akatsuki."

Akatsuki walked into his room and saw a huge lump under the covers of Hanabusa's bed. "It's not like you to go to bed immediately after class, Hanabusa," Akatsuki joked. He was answered with mumbling from under the blankets. "Can't hear you, Hanabusa," he sighed.

Hanabusa pulled the covers from over his head. "I said, 'I'm in trouble with Kaname-sama and I don't like it'." He pouted and hid his head again.

"Aren't you always in trouble?" Akatsuki asked, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. He was answered by more mumbling. "Can't hear you."

Hanabusa uncovered his head again, annoyed. "I said, 'But this time I didn't do anything wrong.' He's acting all weird and blaming me for no reason."

Akatsuki looked at the blond as Hanabusa covered his head again. "I don't know what to tell you," Akatsuki said, pulling the curtains closed then climbing into his bed. "I guess we'll just have to see."

***

Hanabusa woke up at about noon because of a nightmare. He had dreamt that he was being chased by a vampire hunter. He had run inside an abandoned building and thought he was safe only to be cornered by the hunter. He woke up just as the death shot was fired. He sat up and looked over at Akatsuki who was still sleeping soundly. _'Lucky,'_ he thought. Hanabusa got up and put on a polo shirt and jeans. _'Might as well go walk around.'_ As soon as he got to the door, he heard a familiar voice behind him. "And where are you off to?"

Hanabusa turned around and saw Akatsuki sitting up in his bed sleepily. "Not trying to run away again, are you?" the red-head asked.

Hanabusa shook his head. "No, I had a nightmare. I just wanted to walk it off."

"Don't get caught," Akatsuki warned with a yawn before lying back down and covering his head with his blanket.

Hanabusa waited until Akatsuki's breathing slowed down as he went back to sleep then opened the door and walked out. The hallways were quiet since everyone else was sleeping as well. Hanabusa looked both ways down the hallway before creeping down the hall and down the stairs. Then, making sure no one was around, he quietly opened the door and slipped out without a sound.

The sun was shining brightly outside and Hanabusa groaned unhappily. "Great, it just _has_ to be sunny," he mumbled before walking toward the gate. Just as he walked through the Moon Dorm gate, someone yelled at him.

"Aido! No Night Class students out during the day!"

Hanabusa turned and saw Keiko running toward him. "Hi, Keiko," he greeted softly.

"Hi. Is something wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep," Hanabusa mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Nightmare."

"Really? I couldn't sleep either."

"I guess I'll just go back," Hanabusa sighed.

"No, wait!" Keiko grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Don't worry about it. Wanna go for a walk?"

Hanabusa shrugged in agreement. "Okay."

The two exited the school grounds and walked around the city. Hanabusa hadn't said a word the whole time and it was beginning to make Keiko uncomfortable. "Aido, are you okay?" she asked.

Hanabusa nodded without a word.

"You're lying. Are you hungry?"

"Nothing a blood tablet can't try to cure," he mumbled.

"Are you having a hard time with Kaname-san?"

Hanabusa's head shot up and he looked at her. "How do you know?"

"Well," Keiko began, looking up at the sky. "I'm not blind. I notice that whenever both of you are around me, Kaname gets mad for some reason and takes it out on you."

Hanabusa looked down at his feet. "Yeah. He's upset about me being tamed, I guess."

"I'm not _trying_ to tame you, Aido," Keiko told him, leaning forward to try and look into the blond's eyes. "Really."

Hanabusa stopped walking but didn't look up. "I know, but…I _am _being tamed and…it feels weird."

Keiko frowned and walked in front of him. "How is it weird?" she asked.

"It's not the taming itself," Hanabusa explained quickly. "That's not it. It's…uh…awkward in…inside."

"Inside?" Keiko repeated. "You mean right here?" She lifted up her hand and placed it on Hanabusa's chest over his heart. "Here inside?"

Hanabusa looked at her with a blush on his face then nodded. "Yeah…right there."

Keiko lowered her hand and giggled, causing Hanabusa to pout and look to the side. "It's not funny," he mumbled.

"No, I know," she said in between laughs. "I'm sorry." Once she stopped laughing, she looked up at Hanabusa and smiled. "It's not weird, Aido. It means you like me!"

Hanabusa's face turned red. "N-no I don't!" he protested. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"It's okay, Ai-kun," Keiko told him, hugging his arm. "I like you, too."

"You…do?" Hanabusa asked. Then he shook his head and looked down again. "No. You can't."

"And why not?"

"Because you're Kaname-sama's 'dear girl'," Hanabusa said with a pout.

"I don't remember becoming _anyone's_ dear girl," Keiko said with a frown. "That's for me to choose."

"I guess," Hanabusa replied, giving her a weak smile.

Keiko smiled back. "Come on. Let's get some food."

"Okay."

***

Back at Cross Academy, Takuma woke up to a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he asked sleepily.

"It's Kaname. Let me in."

Takuma laid back down. "It's unlocked, Kaname-sama."

Kaname opened the door and walked in. He took one look at Takuma under the covers then sighed. "Get up, Ichijou."

Takuma yawned and sat up again.

"Have you seen Aido?" Kaname asked with a cold edge to his voice.

Takuma shook his head. "No, Kaname-sama. Last time I saw him, he was coming out of your office."

"What about after that?"

Takuma shrugged. "Nope. You might try asking Akatsuki, though, since they're roommates."

"Good idea," Kaname said as he turned around, walked out of the room, and closed the door.

Takuma laid back down with a sigh. "You better not be off with Keiko," Takuma said sleepily as he closed his eyes. "It's for your own good."

Kaname knocked then opened the door to Akatsuki and Hanabusa's room. "Akatsuki," Kaname called. The red-head sat up sleepily. "Oh, it's you, Kaname-sama. What's up?"

"Where did Aido go?"

Akatsuki stared at Kaname for a second then looked at Hanabusa's bed. _'Uh oh…he's not back yet,' _ he though worriedly.

"Well?" Kaname pressed.

Akatsuki scratched the back of his head and looked to the side nervously. "Hanabusa had a nightmare and said that he was going for a walk."

"When was that?"

"Around noon," Akatsuki answered with a bad feeling.

"Is that so?" Kaname stared at Akatsuki for a moment longer then turned and left the room. _'You're in for it now, Hanabusa,'_ Akatsuki thought as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Kaname squinted as the sun shone on his face as he opened the door to the Moon Dorm. It was almost time for the Day Class to get out of class and if Hanabusa wasn't here, it could only mean trouble.

As Kaname opened the Moon Dorm gate, he was greeted by Kaien. "Oh, Kaname-kun, good. You're just who I wanted to talk to. Have you seen Keiko anywhere?"

Kaname frowned. "Keiko's missing, too?"

"You're missing someone?" Kaien asked stunned.

"Hanabusa Aido's missing. From what I hear, he had a nightmare and went for a walk around noon and hasn't come back."

"Interesting…oh look! There's Keiko now!"

Keiko was walking down the path from the school to the Moon Dorm with a smile on her face. She saw Kaien and Kaname standing there and smirked. _'Just as I thought. Just wait a little longer, Aido,'_ "Hi, Kaien-san! Kaname-san!"

"Hi, Keiko!" Kaien greeted. "What are you up to?"

"Just on my way here for guardian duty. The Day Class just got out."

"That's a good girl. Oh, by the way, have you seen Aido anywhere by chance?"

Keiko glanced over at Kaname before looking back at Kaien. "Nope! I've patrolled the whole campus and I haven't seen him! Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek?"

Kaien looked at Kaname in amusement. "That _does_ sound like him. Better go check the rooms again, Kaname."

Kaname nodded, looked over at Keiko who grinned, then walked back through the gate.

Keiko waited until the gate closed back then motioned behind her. Hanabusa ran out of the trees and up to Keiko's side. "You were right," Hanabusa panted. "They _were_ looking for us."

"I told you. Now hurry and get back to your room. You should be able to do it without getting caught."

"Thanks, Keiko. I'll see you in class, okay?"

"'Kay." Keiko sighed as she watched Hanabusa run inside the gate. "Please don't get caught," she whispered anxiously. "_Please_."

Hanabusa ran down the path toward the dorm. He and Keiko had come up with the perfect plan, now all he had to do was carry it out. He ran around to the back of the building and snuck through the back door. There was a small staircase in the back of the dorm building that continued all the way up to the roof. Hanabusa slipped into the stairway and ran up the stairs as quickly, and quietly, as he could. At the second floor, he stopped and pushed his ear against the door. He could hear Kaname's voice and then Ruka answering him. _'Good. I have enough time if I hurry.'_ Hanabusa ran up to the next level and crept through the door, made sure no one was around then broke into a run to his room. Akatsuki looked up as Hanabusa burst into the room.

"There you are," Akatsuki said, with a sigh of relief. "Kaname-sama's been looking everywhere for you."

"Yeah, I know," Hanabusa replied, quickly stripping off his shirt and pants and throwing them into a drawer. Then he threw his pajamas back on and dove under the bed.

"What are you doing?" Akatsuki asked him in complete puzzlement.

"Sh!" Hanabusa told him, sticking his head out from under the bed. "As far as you know, I came back hours ago."

"But I already told Kaname-sama that you left around noon and that you hadn't come back yet."

Hanabusa smirked. "But you couldn't know that if you've been asleep the whole time, now could you?"

Akatsuki smiled back. "Oh, I get it. That's actually smart. Good thinking."

Hanabusa gasped as the doorknob rattled, and he hid his head under the bed again and pretended to go to sleep.

Akatsuki put on his best sleepy face as Kaname walked into the room. "Find him?" Akatsuki asked casually.

Kaname looked around the room suspiciously. "Not yet…" the brunette replied, walking to Hanabusa's bed. He bent down and looked under it then groaned in annoyance. "GET UP, AIDO!" he yelled.

Hanabusa jumped, hitting his head on the bed for added effect, then rubbed his eye in fake sleepiness. "Ow…Kaname-sama, I was having a good dream," he whined.

Akatsuki shook his head and smiled. _'You're one hell of an actor, Hanabusa.'_

Kaname stood back up and Hanabusa crawled out from under the bed and did the same. "Oh, is it twilight already?" the blond asked, looking at the open curtains.

Kaname narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Just what were you doing under the bed?"

"Oh, that," Hanabusa said, as if he had been there all day. "After I had a bad dream, I got up and walked around a bit, but Keiko caught me and told me to come back to the dorm so I did, and I crawled under my bed because the sun was shining so bright through an opening in the curtains and onto my face and I needed a dark place to go back to sleep."

Akatsuki stared at Hanabusa in shock. _'Are you serious?'_ he thought amused. He regained his composure when Kaname looked over at him. "Did you know he came back?"

"Hey, I was asleep between the time he left and the time when you came in," Akatsuki answered with a shrug. "You know I sleep like a log once I've been out for a while."

Kaname looked from Hanabusa to Akatsuki and back again. "Just get ready," he told the two with closed eyes as he left the room and closed the door.

Akatsuki looked over at Hanabusa and laughed shortly. "So just where exactly _did_ you go, Hanabusa?"

Hanabusa winked. "Out with Keiko," he said softly. "We went out to lunch."

"You sly little blood-sucker," Akatsuki said, shaking his head. "I knew you couldn't have come up with that plan yourself. Keiko helped you, didn't she?"

Hanabusa smiled. "Yep! Oh, Akatsuki, please don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Not even Kaname-sama?"

"_Especially_ not Kaname-sama."

Akatsuki sighed then looked back up at Hanabusa with a smile. "My lips are sealed."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

The next day, Keiko and Hanabusa walked off of the school grounds together around noon. Keiko had gotten an errand list from Kaien, then ran over to the Night Dorm where Hanabusa was waiting for her outside.

"It's about time," Hanabusa said, uncrossing his arms.

"Sorry," Keiko apologized. "I needed my alibi." She held up the errand list and Hanabusa smiled.

"Good thinking."

The two walked over to an ice-cream stand and stared at the menu.

"You do like ice cream, right?" Keiko asked Hanabusa.

Hanabusa nodded. "Yeah, any kind of sweets is fine."

"Good, you wanna share one?"

Hanabusa blushed slightly then nodded. "S-sure."

"One double-scoop ice cream, please," she told the vendor.

The man nodded, then turned around and soon came back with a cone with two scoops of strawberry ice cream covered with candy hearts and sprinkles. "One lover's special for the two kids," he said with a grin as he handed the cone to Keiko. "It's on the house."

Keiko and Hanabusa blushed, looked at each other, then smiled. "Thank you," they told the vendor.

Keiko licked the ice cream first and accidentally got some on her nose. As she handed it to Hanabusa, he looked at her and laughed.

"What?" Keiko asked confused.

"Stay still," Hanabusa said as he leaned forward and licked the ice cream off her nose. She blushed when he pulled away and looked at her. "Sorry," he said softly.

Keiko only shook her head slowly. "N-no. It's okay."

Hanabusa stared at her for a moment longer before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. "Come on," he said, holding out a hand to her as they both blushed.

Keiko took his hand and leaned against him. "Okay."

***

Back at Cross Academy, Kaien stood looking out his window with a smile on his face. He had just given Keiko an errand list and sent her out, when he looked out the window and saw her running toward the Moon Dorm and suddenly, her and Hanabusa walked off together. "Ah…love is the center of pacifism," he sighed. He turned and looked to the door when it opened and saw Yuuki standing there. "Yuuki?" Kaien noticed the redness in her eyes and her cheeks were wet with tears. "Yuuki, what's wrong?"

"Zero…" she whispered, looking down. "Zero…is gone."

"What do you mean gone?!" Kaien exclaimed, standing up.

Yuuki looked up at him sadly. "He ending up being put on the hunter's list anyway and…they killed him…"

'What?! But…he's one of _them_."

"They said that he wasn't truly ever since he became a vampire so…they said that it was for the best."

Kaien fell backwards in his chair with a sigh. "I had a feeling this would happen."

"I need Kaname," she said softly. When Kaien looked up at her confused, she continued. "I hurt him before when I left with Zero, but now…I need to recognize my true place as a pureblood."

Kaien smiled softly. "I understand. You should find him in the dorm."

Yuuki nodded and wearily walked out of the office, just as Kaname was walking in. He noticed her tear-stained cheeks as she looked up at him. "Yuuki?" he said softly.

"Kaname…" she began, her eyes tearing up. "Onii-sama!" Kaname was forced back slightly as Yuuki tackled him in a hug. He looked up at Kaien, who only smiled, then hugged Yuuki back.

"Yuuki…what's wrong?" Kaname asked gently.

"Zero…" Yuuki said between sobs. "Zero…he's gone."

Kaname again looked up at Kaien who made a gun with his fingers and shot in the air. The brunette picked up the hint and held Yuuki tighter. "It's going to be okay, Yuuki," he told her.

"No," Yuuki said, taking a step back and rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "Not yet. There's something I need to tell you…badly."

Kaname nodded and followed Yuuki, totally forgetting why he had come to the headmaster in the first place.

***

Keiko and Hanabusa arrived back to Cross Academy a few minutes before twilight hit.

"The afternoon went by too fast," Hanabusa complained as he hugged Keiko good-bye.

Keiko hugged him back and smiled. "I know. But we're still in class together, right?"

"I guess," Hanabusa sighed, looking over at the Moon Dorm. "Guess I'm sneaking in through the back again."

"I'm sorry," Keiko said, suddenly upset. "I dragged you out here, didn't I?"

Hanabusa shook his head quickly. "No, no! It's not you! I _wanted_ to come out here, remember? See, I'll even be here tomorrow at noon, too, okay?"

Keiko smiled then stood on her tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning and running toward the school. "Bye, Ai-kun!"

Hanabusa waved and watched her leave then turned around to go back to the dorm. He saw a few Day Class girls earlier, so he knew it was about time to get back to the dorm so Kaname wouldn't get mad and hit him again. As he walked through the back door, he saw Akatsuki standing there waiting for him.

"Akatsuki!" Hanabusa exclaimed as he was backed into the wall by his cousin.

Akatsuki put both of his hands on both sides of Hanabusa and looked into the surprised blue eyes. "You're gonna get me killed if you keep sneaking out like this," he said sternly.

"What are you talking about?" Hanabusa asked softly.

"Kaname-sama decided to take his anger out on me this time. It's a good thing I'm a vampire and I heal quickly."

"That bad?" Hanabusa asked guiltily.

Akatsuki nodded and lowered his arms. "You've got to stop seeing that human girl."

"'That human girl' has a name!" Hanabusa countered angrily. "And I've only been seeing her for two days so I'm not going to!" he said stubbornly.

"Then I guess I have no choice," Akatsuki replied with a sigh as he turned away.

"Hey, where're you going?"

"To tell Kaname-sama."

"No!" Hanabusa cried. "Please, Akatsuki, don't do this! You promised!"

"That was before my life was endangered."

"Please!" Hanabusa begged. "I'll stop seeing her, just don't tell Kaname-sama."

"Promise?" Akatsuki asked.

Hanabusa looked up at him then hesitated. "Yes," he said, lowering his head.

Akatsuki stared at his cousin for a little longer before turning around and leaving. Hanabusa leaned against the wall and slid to the ground then buried his head in his arms. _'What am I going to do?'_

Meanwhile, Yuuki and Kaname stood in his room facing each other. Yuuki had just finished telling him how Zero was killed and that she wanted to stay by his side forever as they had planned before. Kaname just stood and looked at her. "You know," he started, causing Yuuki to look up at him, "last time you got mad at me, you wouldn't talk to me at all and when you finally did I said I wasn't going to forgive you with just an apology. But this time, you not only refused to talk to me, but you also snuck away with that person. How am I supposed to forgive you now?"

Yuuki looked down. "I know, Onii-sama, but…you know I love you. And you love me, too. That's how it's supposed to be, right?"

"Supposed to be?" Kaname repeated. "What's _supposed_ to be anymore, Yuuki? You were _supposed_ to become my wife and stay with me forever. You were _supposed_ to come back to me when you settled everything with _him_. You were _supposed_ to be there for me when I needed you there the most. And you weren't."

"Kaname…" Yuuki stepped forward and hugged him. "I'm sorry, Kaname. Please…don't be mad. I love you."

Kaname looked down at her then sighed and hugged her back. "I love you, too, Yuuki. Just…the next time you betray my trust, _I_ will be the one not doing the talking, understand?"

Yuuki smiled and hugged him tighter. "Thank goodness. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Nor I without you," Kaname whispered as he lifted up Yuuki's chin and kissed her.

***

The next day, Keiko walked to her and Hanabusa's meeting place in front of the Moon Dorm. She noticed that she got there first when usually it was the other way around. "Hm…must've gotten held back. Oh well, I'll wait."

Inside, Hanabusa stood in front of his window. He could see Keiko standing outside waiting for him and he put his hand on the window. "Keiko…" he whispered.

Two hours had passed and Hanabusa still hadn't shown up. _'Where could he be? Maybe he's mad at me.'_ "Then again," she said, looking up at the sky. "He did make a point to ignore me in class, last night." Finally, she just sighed and walked back to the school.

Hanabusa watched Keiko walk back to the school and sighed. He wished he could have told her last night what was going on, but there were too many people around and Yagari had made it a point to have a pop quiz and that there was to be no talking. Then, after class, Akatsuki gave Hanabusa a look that said, "Go back to the dorm now, or else" so he left without saying anything to her then, either. Hanabusa looked over at his sleeping cousin then walked over and got into his own bed. "I'm such an asshole," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Hanabusa opened his eyes as he heard Akatsuki getting ready for class. The latter walked over and shook the blond. "Come on, Hanabusa. We need to meet Kaname-sama downstairs."

"I'm not going," Hanabusa mumbled as he covered his head.

"Why not? Oh, I know why. It's because Keiko will be there, right?"

"Well, it's not like you'll let me talk to her anyway!" Hanabusa countered, sitting up angrily. "You're so worried about your own safety that you don't realize I'm suffering!"

"That's not true, Hanabusa. It's just that…um…"

"What? You mean to tell me it's not just for your safety?"

Akatsuki looked up at his cousin then shook his head. "Forget it. I'm going."

"That's right! Walk out! I don't need you anyway!" Hanabusa yelled after Akatsuki as his cousin shut the door.

Akatsuki sighed as he walked down the stairs to meet the others. _'Stubborn, stubborn blond cousin of mine,'_ he thought to himself.

"Hey, there you are, Kain," Takuma greeted. "Hm? Where's Aido?"

"He's not feeling too well tonight," Akatsuki told him.

"He did look pretty down at dinner," Takuma pointed out. "I wonder what's wrong?"

Akatsuki shrugged then followed Kaname and Ruka out of the dorm.

Hanabusa stared out his window as he watched the rest of the night class leave. He let out an exasperated sigh as he saw Keiko standing near the gate as the others walked on. The Day Class students were just standing nearby, squealing quietly to each other, afraid of Keiko's wrath, but guardian duty was the furthest thing from her mind. _'Aido…'_ she thought, looking up at the dorm. She gasped when she saw Hanabusa watching her from the window, but as soon as he caught her eye, he turned around and disappeared.

"Hanabusa's not feeling well," Akatsuki said, suddenly showing up next to Keiko.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Well, honestly…you are."

"Wha--? Me?"

"How do I put this nicely? You see…nobles don't fall in love with humans. There's a line there that they can't cross. Hanabusa…you're putting him in danger by making him sneak out."

"I don't _make_ him sneak out," Keiko said crossly. "He wants to because he likes to be with me."

"I don't think so," Akatsuki said, slightly frustrated. "I think the only reason he's so desperate to be around you is because he's already been tamed by you. Hanabusa has a weak spot for girls and his interest in you made him lower his guard."

"What's so bad about that?"

"Let me put it into terms you can understand. Vampire tamers tame vampires to make friends, right? Wrong. Vampires were originally tamed to become weapons and a source of defense for humans. What happens when he gets hurt or even killed when he defends you?"

Keiko's eyes widened as what Akatsuki said sank in. She looked down and Akatsuki noticed a tear hit the ground. "You…you didn't seem to have a problem before," she pointed out softly.

"Keiko, look, I'm not trying to make you cry, but Hanabusa's my cousin. He's like a brother to me and he gets in enough trouble as it is without having a girlfriend to deal with, too."

"Okay, I get it!" Keiko yelled as she looked up at him with teary eyes. "I get that you don't care about my _or_ Ai-kun's happiness."

"No, Keiko—"

"Go to hell!" she yelled as she ran to the school.

Akatsuki stood still for a moment as Takuma and Senri walked up to him.

"That was…noisy," Senri pointed out, looking after Keiko.

"Yeah. What was that about?" Takuma asked.

"She's got a mad crush on my cousin," Akatsuki told them.

"Doesn't every girl?" Senri asked bluntly.

"Well, yeah, but he likes her, too."

Takuma raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Uh, no offense to Aido or anything, but he likes _every_ girl." He stopped laughing when he noticed Akatsuki's serious stare. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Nevermind," Akatsuki sighed. "Come on or Kaname-sama will get mad."

***

Hanabusa had moved back to the window just in time to see Keiko yell at his cousin then run off. He frowned and punched the wall, the area around his fist turning to solid ice. "That little…I've had it." The blond turned away and put on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "If they're just going to get in the way, then we'll get out of the way for them."

It was past twilight by the time Hanabusa arrived at the school. He slipped inside and took off down the hall, heading straight for the headmaster's guest room. Once he got there, he stopped and caught his breath before knocking softly. "Keiko? Keiko, it's me, Aido." Hanabusa stood there a while and was about to give up and look somewhere else when the door opened a crack.

"What do _you_ want?" Keiko asked softly.

"What's with the attitude?" Hanabusa asked with a smile. "I came to see you."

"Shouldn't you be in class or whatever?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Hanabusa said, lowering his head so he was nose-to-nose with her. "So are you going to let me in?"

Keiko hesitated then opened the door all the way. Hanabusa smiled and walked inside. It was then that he realized how swollen and red Keiko's eyes were. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, as if you don't know," Keiko said, looking away. "You and your weak spot for girls."

"Hey, now, what's that supposed to mean?" Hanabusa asked, frowning.

"Your cousin said that you have a weak spot for girls and that the only reason you want to be with me is because you're tamed. And I think he may be right."

Hanabusa scoffed. "You think I'm tamed? I'll show you tamed." And he pushed Keiko against the wall, taking her wrists with one hand and putting his other behind her head.

"A-Aido, what're you doing? Let me go!" Keiko said as she squirmed.

Hanabusa pushed against her, preventing her from moving away, and leaned down to her neck. Keiko whimpered as Hanabusa licked her neck, causing shivers to run up her spine. "I'm far from being tamed, Keiko," he said softly before opening his mouth and sinking his fangs into her neck.

Back in the Night Class, Akatsuki stiffened and looked out the window. He glanced over at Kaname and inwardly sighed in relief when he saw the pureblood was deep in thought. "I need to use the restroom," he said to Yagari as he stood up.

Yagari looked up and shook his head. "You vampires, needing potty breaks just like everyone else, jeez."

"We have bladders, too, you know," Akatsuki pointed out, walking to the door.

"Whatever, just be back in five minutes."

Akatsuki nodded and walked out of the classroom. As he closed the door, he stood and stared out at the moon. _'That's definitely the smell of Keiko's blood. But who would…Hanabusa!'_ He groaned and ran toward where the scent was coming from.

In the guest room, Keiko moaned softly as Hanabusa sucked the blood out of her neck. "A-Aido," she whispered. "Stop…"

Hanabusa ignored her completely and continued his act, not bothering to worry about the blood that was now dripping off of his chin and onto the floor. _'Sorry, Keiko,'_ he thought. _'But I need you unconscious.'_

Akatsuki panted as he arrived at Keiko's room. The smell of blood was overwhelming here and was beginning to worry him. "Hanabusa!" he yelled as he burst through the door. His cousin lifted up his head in shock and Akatsuki noticed the blood on his face as well as on the floor and on Keiko's shirt. "Hanabusa…what are you doing?"

"Ai…do…" Keiko whispered as she fell forward. Hanabusa rushed forward and caught her as she lost consciousness, then looked back up at Akatsuki. "Hi," he said sarcastically.

"Look, Hanabusa, I know you're mad, but—"

Hanabusa laughed as he picked Keiko up in his arms. "Silly, I'm not mad."

"You're…not?"

"Of course not." He frowned as he added, "I'm pissed beyond reason."

"H-Hanabusa!"

"Don't call my name like you're worried about me. This is your fault in the first place, Akatsuki."

"M-my fault? You're drenched in blood and holding an unconscious human in your arms and this is _my_ fault?"

Hanabusa smirked. "What, so it's my fault I went against my tamer's wishes? Oh, bad Hanabusa."

"You know, you look really creepy giving me that look when you're covered in blood. And your eyes are glowing, too. Hanabusa, snap out of it!"

"I was never 'in it'," Hanabusa pointed out, walking over to the balcony of the room.

"Where are you going?" Akatsuki asked, taking a step forward.

Hanabusa frowned and a wall of ice formed, blocking Hanabusa and Keiko from Akatsuki's view. "Away from here," Hanabusa replied, stepping onto the guard rail. "Catch me if you can." And with that he jumped off the side and disappeared.

Akatsuki lifted his hand and melted the wall with fire. He ran over to the balcony and saw Hanabusa running from a distance. "Aido!!" he yelled. "Damn it."

***

Hanabusa stopped running and looked behind him, panting. He had run non-stop all the way to the nearest 'Aido' building without making sure he wasn't being followed. He smiled when he realized he was safe and carried Keiko inside. He took her up to a room on the second floor and laid her in the bed there. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt when he noticed the deep bite marks in her neck. "Oops," he said softly, placing a hand on her cheek. "Sorry, Keiko…I really need to get you cleaned up," he groaned. Then he turned and walked out of the room.

Keiko woke up a few seconds later. She felt light-headed and it took a while for her vision to clear. _'W-Where am I?'_ she wondered. She turned her head to look at the door and saw Hanabusa walk in with a wet rag in his hand. "Ai…do?"

"Keiko! You're awake! Thank goodness. I thought I killed you for a second."

"Killed…me?" Then she remembered how Hanabusa held her against the wall and drank her blood before everything went black. "Killed me," she whispered as she looked at the blond. "Why? Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry," Hanabusa said, looking to the side. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I was just mad that Akatsuki wouldn't leave us alone about our relationship, so…"

"So you drank my blood until I fainted then kidnapped me."

"Please don't say kidnapped," Hanabusa said guiltily. "I already feel bad enough as it is."

Keiko stayed lying down as Hanabusa sat down next to her and put the rag on her forehead. "You know," Keiko started as Hanabusa pulled the blanket up to her chin, "I feel the same way."

"About what?" Hanabusa asked gently as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"About Akatsuki not minding his own business," Keiko told him with a smile.

Hanabusa smiled weakly and looked to the side.

"What?" Keiko asked, sitting up.

"You shouldn't sit up," Hanabusa told her.

"I'm fine," Keiko told him, getting out of the covers and laying her head on his lap. "Now what's wrong?"

"I…they're going to come after me," Hanabusa explained softly. Keiko looked at him confused. Aido looked up at her with worry in his eyes. "Keiko…I bit you and drank your blood without any restraint then I kidnapped you and brought you here, but…"

"What?"

"This will be the first place they look for us…we need to leave. Well, I do, anyway."

Keiko turned her head and looked up at him. "Do you intend on leaving me here?"

Hanabusa shook his head, a small tear finding its way down his cheek. "No, I can't."

"Good," Keiko said, sitting in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. She touched her nose to his and smiled. "Because I want to go with you."

Hanabusa looked at her then closed his eyes as she leaned forward and kissed him lovingly.

***

Akatsuki stood in Kaname's office, looking down at his feet. He had just finished telling the pureblood about Hanabusa's rebellion.

"This could be a problem," Kaname said, trailing his finger in circles on his desk. "You say he ran in the direction of the city?"

Akatsuki nodded. "No doubt heading toward the Aido mansion nearby."

Kaname frowned and tapped his finger in thought. "We need to find her," he said.

"Kaname-sama, pardon me asking, but…what is so important about this girl that you have taken an interest in her? I mean, Yuuki I understand, she's your sister, but Keiko…what does she mean to you?"

Kaname looked up at the door. "Come in, Takuma."

Takuma walked in with a troubled look on his face. He looked over at Akatsuki with sadness in his eyes. "She's _my_ sister…"

"What?" Akatsuki stared at Takuma in shock. "_Your_…sister?"

Takuma nodded. "Yeah. Well, my half-sister anyway. We had different mothers. That's why we don't exactly look similar. See, Keiko was raised by my vampire father and her human mother. Mother and I didn't know about her for the longest time until I stumbled upon her when I was playing out in the yard. Keiko and her mother were living in a house near ours and when I was playing, I ran into her…literally. I thought she looked like my dad, but I brushed it off since I knew that Mom and Dad hadn't had another child together besides me. Then, one day there was a bad storm. It was really windy and there was a lot of lightning and thunder. We didn't know it, but there was a tornado headed our way and soon the power went out and the windows started rattling. Dad hurried me and Mom downstairs then left the house. I stayed with her until the morning and that was when Dad brought Keiko home. Her mother's house had been totally destroyed and there was no sign of her anywhere. We did find blood all over the remains of the house, though, so we presumed that she was dead. Dad decided that it would be best not to let my grandfather know about her for obvious reasons, so he contacted the Mie Clan and arranged for a family to come pick her up. Keiko was about five when she left and I never saw her since then."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Akatsuki asked.

Takuma smiled. "I didn't realize it was her at first. I didn't find out until I found her file when I was cleaning Kaname-sama's office. You have to remember it's been about ten years since I've seen her. Funny, when she was little she had dirty blond hair and blue green eyes. And now Aido has her…" Takuma broke off and looked at the ground.

"And you haven't gotten the chance to say anything to her?" Akatsuki asked.

Takuma nodded.

Kaname switched his gaze from Akatsuki to Takuma and back again. "The information in the file was supposed to be classified. Only Headmaster Cross and I knew about her connection with Ichijou, but we decided not to say anything about it for the good of both of them. Even she doesn't know about it. But now your cousin's gone, too, Kain, and you're involved. We need to find those two at all costs. Since Keiko is part vampire, we have no idea about her true potential since it could be being suppressed since she's a tamer as well. If her vampire instincts stay suppressed then we have nothing to worry about, but…if her powers _do_ awaken…" He looked up at the two vampires in front of him, "I don't know what could happen…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Akatsuki woke up just as Takuma walked into his room. "Kaname-sama wants to see us."

"Now?" Akatsuki groaned sleepily.

Takuma nodded. "Now."

Akatsuki sighed and got out of bed then followed Takuma to Kaname's office.

"We're here, Kaname-sama," Takuma greeted as he opened the door.

"Still nothing?" Kaname asked the two once they closed the door.

Takuma looked down at the ground as Akatsuki shook his head. "No…we've searched everywhere. Every Aido building, every alley, every abandoned building…_everywhere_. I don't even think they're in town anymore."

Kaname pounded his desk with his fist causing it to split down the middle. "It's been four months…where could they be?"

***

Hanabusa woke up just as the sun was setting. It had been four months since he and Keiko disappeared from the Academy. After leaving the first Aido building, they had boarded a subway and just rode until they had felt like getting off…200 miles away in Kyoto. Aido was able to contact a few of his family members and convinced them to set aside a small house for him and Keiko. After that, Hanabusa convinced them not to tell anyone where he was or else there would be serious trouble. Of course, he had Keiko tame them a bit so they were more willing to listen. Then, for the past four months, Keiko had been working a day job at a local pet store then came home to take a nap so she could spend time with Hanabusa when night fell.

Hanabusa rolled on his side and saw Keiko asleep next to him. "Hey, you," he whispered gently as he touched his nose with hers. Keiko groaned and opened her eyes. "Hm? Hi, Ai-kun."

Hanabusa sat up. "Four months and you're still calling me by my last name," he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Hana-kun," Keiko told him with a smile.

Hanabusa looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Hana-kun? You do realize 'hana' means flower, right?"

Keiko nodded and sat up as well. "Well, I'm pretty sure you don't want me to call you 'petals' instead, right?"

Hanabusa sighed. "I can't win."

Keiko giggled then kissed him on the cheek. "Nope! Now come on. We can't just sit the night away."

"You're right," Hanabusa replied, then he fell backwards with a groan. "I'm so hungry…"

"Are we talking food-hungry or blood-hungry?" Keiko asked, leaning over him.

"Both," Hanabusa replied. "You wouldn't happen to have any blood tablets on you, would you?"

Keiko shook her head. "No, I'm not a vampire, Hana-kun. What happened to yours?"

"I actually took my last one days ago," Hanabusa replied with a frown.

"Why didn't you tell me that? I would have gladly given you some of mine."

"I thought you said you didn't have any blood tablets," Hanabusa said, looking over at her.

"I don't. I meant my blood."

Hanabusa shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that."

"Why not? You did it before, didn't you?"

Hanabusa blushed. "Yeah, but…that was different. I was being rebellious."

"I thought we were still being rebellious," Keiko pointed out mischievously. "Just do it. It'll make you feel better then we can go get some food-food, okay?"

Hanabusa groaned softly and frowned before sitting up behind her and putting his mouth to her neck. "Fine, but stop me if it becomes too much, okay?"

"I will," Keiko replied leaning against him. "Just do it."

Hanabusa hesitated then gave in and bit her. Keiko whined at first, but eventually calmed down and listened intently to Hanabusa's rhythmic gulps as he swallowed her blood. She had expected to be afraid or nervous, but instead, she felt more relaxed than anything. Yes, a vampire was drinking her blood, but it was one that she cared about deeply and would gladly give her blood for any day. Just as she was beginning to feel light-headed, Hanabusa pulled away from her neck. "Are you okay?" he asked, wiping the blood off his mouth with his hand.

Keiko shook her head roughly to get the blood flowing again and smiled at him. "Yep! I'm fine! More importantly, how do _you_ feel?"

"Better," Hanabusa replied, looking at the blood on Keiko's neck. "Come on, let's clean that up and put a bandage on it. I don't want to attract any unwelcome visitors."

***

Back at Cross Academy, Takuma received a letter in the mail. The dorm housekeeper walked up to him and handed him the envelope. "Here you go, Ichijou-san."

"Thank you." _'Oh great. Another letter from grandpa,'_ he thought as he flipped it over and looked at the return address. "OH MY GOD!!" he exclaimed loudly. Akatsuki and the others ran out of their rooms and gathered around him. "Is Ichiou-san coming again?" Ruka asked.

Takuma shook his head and looked up at them. "No…my father is."

"This should be fun," Senri replied sarcastically.

Takuma looked down at the letter in his hands again and read a few lines. "He says that he needs to talk to me about my sister and that it's urgent."

"Sister?" a red-haired girl asked. Her hair was in pigtails and her orange eyes reflected everyone's confusion as she looked at Takuma.

Takuma nodded. "Yeah. Oh, you don't know, do you, Rima?"

Rima shook her head. "Yeah, neither do we," Ruka added.

"Keiko's my half-sister who I haven't seen for ten years."

"Didn't she run off with Aido?" Rima asked.

Takuma nodded. "Yeah…I haven't seen her in so long and then she disappeared again. I'm not too worried though…it's kinda hard to be attached to a person you hardly remember anything about."

Ruka looked behind her at Akatsuki. The red-head had his head down and was staring off into space. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Akatsuki looked up at her wearily. "I miss Hanabusa," he told her.

Ruka looked to the side sadly. "Believe it or not, I miss that stupid blond, too. He lightened the mood around here."

"I wonder what he's doing now…"

***

Hanabusa and Keiko walked throughout downtown Kyoto. The moon shone brightly overhead and the city was quiet except for the few stores that were open during the night. "Okay, what to eat?" Keiko asked as she let go of Hanabusa's hand and went over to a restaurant stand. "I think I want…sashimi and yakisoba."

"And for me…Sukiyaki and kyabetsu."

"Ew!" Keiko said, glancing at Hanabusa. "You like cabbage?"

Hanabusa laughed. "You do know that yakisoba has cabbage in it, right?"

"Huh?! Ew!! Okay, instead I want sashimi and…negi."

"You're going to have onion breath," Hanabusa told her.

Keiko glared at him then turned back to the vendor. "Just give me yakisoba without the cabbage."

"Coming right up," the vendor replied, turning around to prepare the food.

After they got the food, Hanabusa and Keiko decided to walk around as they ate. "Kyoto is so pretty," Keiko said softly, as she looked around at all the different colored lights.

"That's why you belong here," Hanabusa said without thinking. When Keiko looked at him, he turned and blushed. "I-I mean, uh…"

"That was sweet," Keiko said with a smile. "Thank you, Hana-kun."

"S-Sure," Hanabusa said, still shocked that he said such a thing. His look of confusion quickly changed to one of suspicion as an older man walked up to them. Keiko had no idea who it was, but Hanabusa recognized him immediately. "Ichiou…" he said quietly.

Keiko looked up at Hanabusa and back to the man. "Ichi…ou?"

"He's Ichijou-san's grandfather," Hanabusa replied with a glare. "His full name is Asato Ichijou."

"The Aido boy. In my way again, I see?"

"What are you doing here?" Hanabusa asked, moving Keiko behind him.

"I just came to see the face of my cute granddaughter." Asato replied with a smirk.

"Grand…daughter?" Hanabusa repeated, looking back at Keiko. "But…that would make you Ichijou's sister which would make you…"

"A vampire…" Keiko finished her eyes wide. "Excuse me, how do you know I'm related to Ichijou-senpai? I've never met you before in my life."

"I told you…I'm your grandfather. Now if you don't mind," he said to Hanabusa. "I'm going to take her now."

As Asato stepped forward, Hanabusa created a wall of ice blocking them off from Keiko. "You're not getting her. Keiko, run!"

Keiko nodded then turned and started to run only to be caught by a few other vampires that were waiting nearby. "Aido, help!" she screamed. One of the vampires holding her, bit down and drank her blood until she passed out.

"Keiko!" Hanabusa yelled. As he was distracted, Asato hit him in the back of the head and watched him fall to the ground. As Hanabusa lost consciousness, he saw Asato walk over to the other vampires and they all left with Keiko.

***

A few hours later, Hanabusa woke up still laying in the middle of the road. He laid on his back for a moment as he looked up at the dawn sky. Dawn! _'How long have I been out?!' _He jumped up and looked around. The city was only beginning to awaken and it seemed like no one had noticed the unconscious blond. Hanabusa brushed himself off and looked around for the nearest payphone. "Just a perfect day for me to forget my cell phone," he told himself as he ran to one by the restaurant stand that he and Keiko had gone to last night. He hesitated before picking up the phone. _'It's been four months since I've talked to any of them…will they listen?'_ He shook the thought out of his mind, inserted the change and dialed a number.

Akatsuki stood at his window and looked at the multi-colored sky. _'Dawn…the meaning of my name.'_ He looked down at a vase of now mostly dead flowers that Keiko had given Hanabusa when they first met. _'And flower petals…the meaning of Hanabusa…'_ He shook his head and sighed. "Dammit, Hanabusa. I wish I knew where you were…" He looked over when his cell phone rang. _'If that's…'_ he thought. _'There's no way.'_ He walked over to his dresser and picked up the phone. "Hello?

"Akatsuki! You have to help me!"

"_Hanabusa_?!" Akatsuki exclaimed. "I haven't heard from you in four months! Where are you?! Why did you leave?! Are you okay?!"

"Stop with the questions!" Hanabusa yelled at him. "I need you guys to get to Kyoto fast! Ichiou's kidnapped Keiko!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Keiko opened her eyes wearily and looked around. She was sitting on the floor, her arms and legs tied so she had little chance of escaping. As she let out an exasperated sigh, her grandfather walked into the room.

"Awake?" Asato asked simply.

Keiko glared at him. "What the hell's going on?" she demanded. "Where am I?"

"Now, now, Keiko. That mouth is becoming very naughty. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything soon enough."

"How 'bout right now, then?" Keiko suggested in a smart alec tone.

Asato frowned. "You're really starting to annoy me," he told her. He snapped his fingers and suddenly the vampires that aided in her capture were there on either side of her. They grabbed her arms and pulled her up on her feet in front of Asato. He stepped forward so that he was literally nose to nose with her. "If you want to know what I have planned so bad…" he stopped and smirked to himself. "I'm going to abuse you."

Keiko's eyes widened.

Asato caught the look and sighed. "Not sexually, you dummy. After all, you're my granddaughter that would be wrong. I do have _some_ dignity at least."

Keiko visibly relaxed.

"What I meant by abuse was abuse your taming power," Asato exclaimed specifically. "I'm going to use you to build another powerful vampire army and finish where Rido-sama left off."

"Where did this…Rido leave off?" Keiko asked, a nervous edge to her voice.

Asato smirked again. He took his time examining Keiko's face before continuing. "Killing Kaname."

***

Takuma sighed as he paced in his room. Senri sat on his bed and watched the blond curiously. "You're making me dizzy, Takuma," Senri told him.

Takuma sighed again and sat down next to Senri. "I'm sorry, Shiki," the blond apologized, leaning unconsciously on Senri's shoulder. Senri stared off into space. "So when's your dad going to be here?"

Takuma groaned from his place on Senri's shoulder. "I don't know. He said he'd be here by five and it's now six. I'm starting to get nervous."

Before Senri could respond, someone opened the door and Takuma quickly stood up before anyone could see his previous position. Rima poked her head in and looked at Takuma. "Your dad's here!"

Takuma jumped down the stairs and stopped as he spotted a middle-aged looking man with blond hair and green blue eyes standing in the main room. "Father!" Takuma exclaimed.

The man looked up and smiled as he saw Takuma. "Takuma! Good to see you, son! Now where's that little firecracker sister of yours I haven't seen in ages?"

The excitement died from Takuma's eyes as he looked down. His father caught the look and frowned. "Keiko _is_ here…isn't she, Takuma?"

Takuma opened his mouth quickly to say something but found that he couldn't. He shook his head.

"Where is she?" his dad asked, clearly becoming flustered.

"I…I don't know, really. She ran off with Hanabusa Aido about four months ago and we haven't heard anything from either her or him since then."

"Until now," a voice broke in. The two Ichijou men looked over and saw Akatsuki standing at the top of the stairs, a distressed look on his face.

"What is it, Kain?" Takuma asked, Akatsuki's apparent distress transferring to the blond's face.

Akatsuki took a deep breath and looked at him. "Asato Ichijou has her."

"What?!" Takuma's dad exclaimed at the same time Takuma yelled out, "Grandfather!"

"How do you know?" Takuma pressed, his panic rising. This was beginning to become very frustrating. Here was Takuma, a newly found older brother and he couldn't seem to be able to keep his baby sister out of trouble. And on top of that, his _father_ was here to see all his screw-ups.

Akatsuki lifted up his cell phone. "Hanabusa just called. He says we need to get to Kyoto…fast."

***

Hanabusa's leg bounced anxiously as he sat on a bench at the train station. Akatsuki had just called him and told him that he and the rest of their friends were on the way…with the addition of Takuma and Keiko's father. He sighed. _'Great first impression for Daddy,'_ he told himself in dry humor. He looked up as he heard a train whistle and jumped up in anticipation. The train was right on time. He began pacing nervously as the first cars rattled past him on the track and slowly the train came to a stop with a hiss. Hanabusa backed up slightly from the doors and scanned the windows of the train, anxiously looking for the face of his cousin. He smiled in relief when he finally spotted him in the back of the car in front of him.

The doors opened and the passengers filed out, blocking Hanabusa's view for a few minutes, but it didn't bother him much as Akatsuki and Takuma rushed up to him followed closely by Senri, Rima, Ruka, Kaname, and an older blond vampire, probably the long-awaited dad.

Hanabusa ran up and threw his arms around Akatsuki. "Thank god, Akatsuki! I was afraid you wouldn't make it!"

Akatsuki firmly, but gently, pushed his cousin apart from him. "Hanabusa, where's Keiko?"

"If I knew that, don't you think I would've told you?" he said urgently. "I don't know where she is! I'm so sorry!" he added, turning to Takuma and his father.

"It's alright, young Aido," Takuma's father told him. "It's fine. Keiko's always been a feisty little thing. She'll be fine."

"But it was still my fault and I'm so, so sorry!"

Kaname was suddenly by his side and back-handed him without warning. The other vampires looked at him in amazement. "Now you're forgiven," he said, a smiled playing at the edge of his lips. "Now let's find Keiko before she really does get killed."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Keiko opened her eyes wearily as the effects of the drug that was given to her wore off. Right after her grandfather had told her his plans for her, Asato drugged Keiko and had his henchmen drag her to this vile place: a cold, dark, damp stone room. She frowned and let out a tiny groan, burying her face in her hands. "Could this get any worse?" she mumbled to herself. Her questions were answered when the door opened and Asato walked in. "What do you want?" The words sounded more afraid then Keiko would've liked, but this was no time to worry about vocal impressions.

Asato walked over and stood in front of his granddaughter. "Now is that any way to speak to a superior who's been alive centuries before you were even born?"

"You didn't even know I was born in the first place," Keiko pointed out stubbornly. There was no was she was going to let this out dated monument get the best of her. "As soon as Onii-san hears you've kidnapped me, he'll be on your sorry old butt."

Asato frowned in frustration. "You're becoming more troublesome that I first thought," he said quietly. "That's really beginning to bother me."

"Cry me a river," Keiko mumbled.

Asato frowned and slapped Keiko across the face. "You really need to learn some respect, girl."

Keiko stuck her tongue out at him. "Make me."

Asato growled in the back of his throat. "Oh I will. Bring her to the upper level," he commanded his henchmen. "It's about time I carried out my plan."

***

Hanabusa walked with his eyes to the ground, oblivious to the other vampires around him. He looked up slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Takuma's father walking by his side. Hanabusa sighed and looked guiltily back to the ground. "I'm sorry," he said again softly.

Takuma's dad let out a low chuckle. "I wouldn't worry too much, young Aido," the man said gently. "I already told you, Keiko has a knack for taking care of herself. She's been like that since she was a child."

Hanabusa looked up at him curiously as the older man stopped walking and stopped as well. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Takuma's dad looked up at the sky. "When Keiko's mother died in a terrible weather accident, I went to go find her. She was my first priority after I got Takuma and his mother to safety. Their house was totally destroyed, no sign of human life anywhere. I searched for hours trying to find some sign that told me my little half-vampire child had survived, but there was nothing. Finally, as I was about to give up, I saw a small trail of blood leading to a large pile of splintered wood. I recognized the scent of it immediately as Keiko's and worked to get her out of there." He stopped and chuckled. "I really shouldn't have even tried."

Hanabusa glared at him in shocked anger. "How can you say that?! She's your daughter!"

The Ichijou man laughed. "Would you let me finish? I shouldn't have even tried because as soon as I began digging her out, she used this weird elemental wind power I didn't even know she had to blast those boards off of her. Blew me back, too. As soon as I recovered, I walked over to her to make sure she was okay. Poor thing was crying her heart out, but other than that, she was perfectly healthy. So, you see, as she grew up, I never really had any real fear of her getting hurt. That little girl is so durable…she recovered almost as soon as anything pierced her skin even a little bit!"

Hanabusa smiled as Takuma's dad laughed next to him. It was hard to believe that even though Hanabusa was part of the cause for Keiko's disappearance, her father could stand here next to him and tell him uplifting tales about her childhood. The blond lowered his head again, a smile still on his face. "Thank you."

"No problem. After all, it's not the first time my father's come after one of my children," he nodded his head in Takuma's direction. "And look how that one turned out. Now, all tragedy aside for the moment, I think it's time I introduced myself," he said as he held out his hand. "Raiko Ichijou at your service. Not literally of course," he added with a grin.

Hanabusa smiled and shook his hand. "Hanabusa Aido, but I'm sure you know that already."

"And I'm Takuma and I would very much like to find my sister, okay?!" The other two looked over to see a very frustrated Takuma with his hands on his hips pouting.

Raiko smiled and leaned over to Hanabusa. "And unlike Takuma here, Keiko is pretty patient."

"That's a lie!" Takuma said, walking past his dad. "If I remember correctly she was the one who would pace impatiently in front of the ice cream stand until she got what she wanted. I waited on the bench."

Raiko chuckled and ran after his son. "Yeah, but you were the one who…"

Hanabusa drowned the voices out as he stared up at the clouds drifting by. _'Keiko…I really hope your dad's right about your endurance.'_

***

Keiko struggled against the grip of her grandfather's henchmen. Where they were taking her, she had no idea, but she suddenly wished she hadn't been such a smart alec earlier.

She was literally thrown out of her thoughts as she was tossed to the ground. Her head hit the floor with a 'thud' and she whimpered as she reached up to touch the forming bump. She looked up and realized that she was in a large stone chamber that actually looked more like a dungeon than an attic. There were no windows, chains on the wall, and a bunch of medical equipment that Keiko was sure wasn't just to play "doctor" with. A frightened whimper escaped her lips without her consent.

Asato smirked. "So you finally realized the situation you're in. Well, better late than never I suppose." He walked over to his granddaughter, picked her up by the collar of her shirt and attached her to the wall by the chains.

Keiko struggled in vain then glared at Asato. "Just how do you expect to gain my power?"

"Simple, really," Asato told her, drawing some kind of liquid out of a tube into a syringe. "All I have to do is inject this serum into your bloodstream. It targets the cells in your body that have your vampire genes and strengthens them. Then all I have to do is drink your blood then use this," he held up his staff, "and suck the taming power out of you and manipulate it into something I can use for myself."

Keiko stared into the crystal ball on the top of Asato's staff. "You don't really think that's going to work, do you?"

"Of course it will," he replied.

"Because?"

Asato smirked. "Because…this serum…has my blood in it…as well as Rido-sama's."

Keiko gasped. "That's how you're going to awaken the vampire genes. By getting other vampire cells to attack the cells in my body that are suppressing my own powers."

"Bingo." He flicked the glass syringe to settle the blood mix then looked at Keiko. "And now…let's begin."

***

Takuma's eyes suddenly flew open and he sat up in a shock and looked around. The group of Cross Academy vampires, as well as Raiko, has decided to rest in a five-star hotel after searching for nearly twenty-four hours straight. Next to him, Senri sat up and draped an arm sleepily over the blond's shoulder. "You okay, Taku?"

Takuma's panting soon calmed and he nodded unsurely. "I-I think so…" he said quietly. He looked over at his dad sleeping on the other side of the room then back at Senri. "Just a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Senri asked, more awake now that he heard the shakiness in the blond's voice.

Takuma shook his head slowly. "No…I'll be okay. Go back to sleep."

Senri stared hesitantly at Takuma for a moment before sighing. "All right, Vice President," he said as he laid back down.

Takuma sat for a little while longer before lying back down as well. He shivered as he remembered remnants of his dream: Keiko chained up, her newly discovered power being drained out of her body, Asato surrounded by an army of newly risen Level E's, and the worse part: he and his friends watching helplessly from inside a barred cell. Even though it was only a dream, it felt real…so real in fact that Takuma was sure it had happened…or _would_ happen. But if it was going to happen, did that mean that the only sibling he ever came in contact with wasn't going to survive? He shook his head roughly to clear the thought out of his mind, pressed his face against Shiki's chest, and fought to go back to sleep.

***

Keiko's breathing increased as Asato walked toward her, serum in hand. She struggled hopelessly against the iron chains that bound her, realizing that now, more than ever, she was in grave danger. She had always been a quick healer, but now, as the grandfather she never knew menaced toward her, she knew that this might be one thing she would never be able to recover from.

Asato stopped mere inches from Keiko's body held against the wall and smirked. "And so now…it's starts." And with those words, he jabbed the needle into the side of Keiko's neck.

Keiko let out a scream that was muffled as Asato covered her mouth with his hand. After he was sure the liquid was completely inside her body, he pulled the needle out. Keiko panted in pain, groaning as the injection site burned mercilessly. She had never felt pain to this extent before. She could feel the serum working it's way into her bloodstream and with every heartbeat pumping blood, that pain grew worse and worse.

Asato merely stood by as Keiko began screaming, letting him know that his and Rido's blood was doing its job. After all, he had never said that the process would be painless. What he didn't tell her was that the vampire cells that he injected in her also contained the blood of many Level E's…meaning that almost every cell in her body was being attacked by rogue, crazed, vampire cells. His attention turned back to his granddaughter as the screams became weaker, eventually melting into pained breathing. Keiko's eyes were only slightly open and her face was sweating, soaking her bangs. Asato waited until Keiko was only panting before walking over to her and moving her collar out of the way. "Phase Two," he murmured and he sank his teeth into her neck.

Keiko tried to scream, but no noise came out. The strange cells that had attacked her own had left her weak, dazed, and only barely conscious of her blood being sucked out of her in fearsome amounts. Her vision blackened and she tried to stay awake despite her body's desire to cut itself off. _'I don't think I can take much more of this,'_ she realized with a mental sob. _'He's going to kill me. I'm actually going to die at the hands of my own flesh and blood…'_ Her eyes closed all the way as she slipped into the final stage before complete unconsciousness. _'Taku…ma…'_

***

"KEIKO!!" Takuma jerked awake again as the first rays of sun shone on his face. Raiko and Senri were already up and they both turned panicked looks to the panting, sweating blond.

"Takuma, what's wrong?" Raiko demanded, taking his son by the shoulders and shaking him. "What is it? Where's Keiko?!"

Senri placed his hand on Raiko's shoulder, calming him, and turned to look at Takuma who had a blank, fearful look on his face. "Taku? What's the matter?"

Takuma turned and faced the other two vampires, horror lacing his normally cheery, soft voice. With a frightened gasp, he whispered, "He's killing her…"

***

Asato pulled his mouth away from Keiko's neck and wiped the blood off his mouth with a clean, white handkerchief. The girl was unconscious and bleeding heavily out of the two small piercings in her neck with seemingly no hope of survival. But Asato knew better. He could taste the change in her blood. Keiko's vampire senses were awakened. Now all that was left was to take from her the power that was instilled in her when she was adopted by the Mie Clan. He raised the staff up and, muttering a few words to himself, wiped the crystal with the handkerchief, smearing Keiko's blood on it. The crystal then began glowing, first blue, then purple, and finally a bright, pulsing red that matched the shade of her blood perfectly. The red light suddenly shot from the crystal and engulfed Keiko, causing her hair to sway with the current of the force that now drained her body.

Asato smirked as the bright red light turned a dark maroon and shot itself back into the crystal, now illuminating Asato in the deadly glow. He laughed manically as he felt the power flow through him and he turned to his vampire henchmen that had stood by to guard the door. "You see? The only power you can ever depend on is the kind from your own flesh and blood! Mwa ha ha ha!!"

The door suddenly burst open with a gust of wind, sending the three henchmen flying across the attic. Asato frowned as he recognized the power. "Kaname-sama, so nice of you to join us for this little get-together."

Kaname walked into the room, followed closely by Takuma, Raiko, Hanabusa, and the others. The Ichijous and Hanabusa were the first ones to notice how bad of a situation this was. "Keiko!" they all exclaimed at once. Then the others saw what they did: Keiko chained to the wall, blood dying her skin and clothes a deep red and matting her hair.

Raiko turned to Asato. "What have you done, Father?!" he yelled. "I swear if you killed my daughter, I'll never forgive you! I'll rip your throat out myself!"

Asato chuckled. "Relax, Raiko. The child's still alive…for now."

"Ichiou, you bastard!" Hanabusa cried out. "How dare you lay a finger on her!"

Akatsuki laid a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Calm down, Hanabusa."

"Calm down?! Calm _down_?! Keiko practically dead and you're telling me to calm down?!"

Asato laughed softly. "She's the last thing you need to worry about," he said with an evil grin. "Look behind you."

The rescuing vampires all did just that…and stopped dead. Right behind them, was one of the biggest Level E armies any of them had ever seen.

Ruka gasped. "No way…Keiko's power…did _this_?"

Raiko narrowed his eyes and turned back to his father. "You awakened her power? Don't you know what'll happen?"

"Of course I do!" Asato roared. "I'll assume ultimate power that's what! And after that—"

"Wrong!" Raiko cut him off. "You awakened Keiko's power which was suppressed by a vampire tamer! Your body doesn't have the right kind of resistance to support the tamer's ability! You'll be destroyed from the inside out!"

"Absurd!" Asato challenged. "You think I believe that load of crap?! Servants, attack!"

The roaring bunch of Level E's lunged at the group, but not before Kaname, Hanabusa, and Akatsuki acted with their elemental powers and downed half of them right away. Rima, Senri, and Ruka attacked next, Rima using electricity, Senri his blood whip, and Ruka messing with the mind of the formally human vampires and pitting them against each other. Raiko smiled. "See what I mean? Keiko's power doesn't increase the power of Level E's…it destroys them! Just as it's doing to you!"

"Silence!" Asato pointed the staff's crystal at Raiko and shot a beam of the maroon light at him. It hit him head on and threw him into the wall.

And, in the deep, dark corners of her mind, Keiko could barely make out the sound of Asato talking to someone…who was that talking back to him? The voice sounded so familiar…who was it? She heard Asato get angry and attack and then the loud sound of a wall falling apart filled the air. Then, as Takuma cried out, Keiko recognized immediately who that voice had been. Her father.

"Father!" Takuma cried out. The blond vampire ran to his father's aid, not even caring if he was hit as well.

He was the farthest thing from his grandfather's mind however. Instead, Asato targeted the now weakened Raiko. "This will be the last time someone from my own family disregards me!"

"No!"

Asato swung around, stunned speechless. There was no way she could be awake. Not with all of the blood and power he had drained out of her. And yet, there was Keiko, her blue eyes burning angrily, her body glowing in a white light. By the time Asato realized what was going on, it was too late. Keiko burst free of her bonds and slammed an elemental earth attack head on into her grandfather. It sent him straight to the other side of the chamber and into the wall. Keiko sprinted over to the staff that Asato had dropped when he was hit and prepared to shatter the crystal that held her power.

"No!" Asato tried to get up, but by then there wasn't enough time.

Keiko slammed the crystal onto the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. The maroon light faded back to blue and entered into Keiko's body. She walked over to Takuma, grabbed his sword, then walked over to where Asato lay on the ground.

"Don't you _ever_ target me or my family again, you bastard," she said menacingly.

"You foolish child! I _am_ your family!"

"Not anymore," Keiko told him coolly. "Now…you're just dead." And with all her might, she thrust the sword straight into Asato's chest and through his heart. The old man choked on the breath that was no longer coming to him, blood bubbled out of his mouth and his heart beat furiously for only seconds before it stopped.

Keiko held the sword in place for a moment before pulling it out. "There…" she said weakly to the others. "I…did it. I…won…" She had hardly finished before she passed out and collapsed. Hanabusa and Takuma were suddenly on both of her sides, holding her up. Takuma laughed weakly. "Yeah she's my sister alright. Only an Ichijou would pull a move that crazy."

Hanabusa smiled. "Or in this case, a Mie."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

"Are we there yet?" Keiko asked impatiently. She was blindfolded, being led by Takuma, her father, and Hanabusa to a place even she couldn't figure out.

"Not yet!" Hanabusa chimed.

Keiko growled.

"Told ya she was the impatient one," Takuma told Raiko.

Raiko smiled. "Eh, I guess you were right…this time."

Keiko huffed in annoyance as the three guys laughed. "Yeah, yeah, real funny," she mumbled. "Just wait till I—"

"We're here!" Raiko exclaimed.

The blindfold suddenly disappeared from Keiko's eyes and she blinked while her eyes adjusted to the sudden light change. Then she gasped in shock. She was at the Moon Dorm, yes, but there were decorations and balloons and food everywhere. She looked back at the three guys that brought her. "What the—"

"You mean you actually forgot?" Raiko asked. "What's today?"

Keiko ran through the past few months in her head. "April 8th—" she began, then stopped as realization hit.

"Happy birthday!" Hanabusa and Takuma told her in unison.

Fireworks suddenly went off and all of the other vampires gathered around in excitement. "Today's my birthday!" Keiko giggled.

"That's right, kiddo!" Raiko said, gripping his daughter in a headlock and giving her a noogie. She pushed him away playfully then looked around. "You guys did all this for me?"

"Well it is _your_ birthday," Hanabusa pointed out. "Who else would we do it for?"

Keiko threw her arms around Hanabusa in a hug. "Thank you so much, guys! You're amazing."

Hanabusa blushed and laughed nervously then stopped. "Hey…where'd Ichijou go?"

Keiko and the others all looked around as well. "I dunno," she said. "He was just here."

Meanwhile, Takuma stood in the main foyer of the Moon Dorm, terror on his face as he looked at the piece of paper in his hands. He went over the words again silently in his head. Takuma's eyes watered and he fell to the ground, buried his face in his knees and sobbed quietly. He lifted his head up as he heard the door open and soft footsteps neared his place in the foyer. "Taku-san?" Senri's soft voice called.

Takuma quickly regained himself and stood up, wiping all signs of his earlier breakdown away. "Here I am," he called to Senri. "I had to use the bathroom."

Senri came in and eyed the blond curiously. "Taku, what—"

"Please don't call me that anymore," Takuma told him. "Just call me Ichijou."

Confusion flashed in Senri's light blue eyes. "What? Taku—Ichijou-senpai, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, nothing. Come on. We still have to celebrate my sister's party."

Takuma went out first, wanting to get out of the Dorm as soon as possible, and Senri followed more hesitantly.

Keiko ran up and hugged her half-brother. "Thank you so much, Takuma!" she said excitedly.

Takuma nodded absentmindedly and Keiko ran off to glomp someone else. Raiko walked up to his son. "What's up? You're not usually this quiet."

"Nothing's wrong, Father. I'm fine, really."

Raiko hesitated then nodded. "If you say so, son."

Takuma watched his father walk away and nearly had to force himself not to shed the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes as he remembered the short note he found earlier on the couch addressed to him. _'Don't forget your place, young Ichijou. Ichiou's death means nothing. You're still the 'toy' of the Association.'_

The End!!

***For those you who are curious…there is a sequel and it's a yaoi between Takuma and Senri so if you're curious to see why Taku's the 'toy' of the Association, then that's the explanation -^_~- Oh, and it's called The Bonds Between Nobles! Thanks to all who reviewed!***


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